Concrete is used extensively in the construction industry for a wide range of commercial buildings, family dwellings, and other structures. For example, concrete footers are used for basements and garage floors, and concrete is the major material used for constructing foundations, walls, and floors.
To add greater strength and stability, concrete is typically poured over metal bars called rebar in a grid pattern that must be configured accurately, at the correct height and width for the structure being built; To form this grid pattern, workers trained for the task typically tie the rebar securely in place to the grade stakes that are used to mark the correct height and width for the concrete when the concrete is poured. However, the process of manually tying rebar in place is laborious, time-consuming, and therefore expensive. In addition, rebar is often tied to steel beams to maintain the upright parts of the grid, but this practice is against many governmental codes for construction.
Because of the disadvantages associated with manually tying rebar, tools have also been designed to aid in forming rebar into a grid pattern. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,471 for Davidson provides the following apparatus:
“An apparatus for positioning rebar for reinforcing concrete, wherein the apparatus includes a semi-cylindrical portion configured for receiving a first rebar extending in a first direction, wherein the semi-cylindrical portion defines first and second opposing straight edges, and two opposing semi-circular ends. A first flange portion extends outwardly from the first straight edge, and a second flange portion extends outwardly from the second straight edge. First and second receiver portions extend longitudinally from the respective first and second flanges beyond one of the ends for receiving a second rebar extending in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction, and for urging the second rebar against the first rebar. Optionally, legs extend from or are attached to the apparatus for supporting the apparatus in an elevated position.”
However, the flanges for the apparatus described above represent an unnecessarily complicated configuration that may be expensive to produce and difficult to employ. Moreover, the options legs represent an additional and potentially unnecessary expense.
Therefore, there is a need for a less complicated and easier to use apparatus that holds rebar in place without tying, for the appropriate grid pattern used to strengthen concrete for construction.